sciencesourceimages:Glow Little Glow Worm! What would Summer be without Fireflies lighting up the
sciencesourceimages: Glow Little Glow Worm! What would Summer be without Fireflies lighting up the night with their beautiful glowing trails? These winged beetles, also known as lightning bugs, are named for their ability to flash their abdomens. This is achieved using an enzyme (luciferase) to oxidize a chemical in a chamber in the tip of its abdomen. This is known as bioluminescence. The firefly controls the flashes by regulating the amount of oxygen that enters the chamber. SEE MORE BIOLUMINESCENT ORGANISMS The flash pattern is specific for each species and is intended to synchronize and coordinate mating. In one case, a species of predatory firefly “fakes” the flash pattern of another species. Females of this femme fatale species wait for unwitting males of the victim species to fly in and then eat them. Mass congregations of fireflies have been documented to synchronize their flashing pattern, producing a light show that turns on and off rhythmically. One such annual display can be seen each year in the Great Smoky National Park in Tennessee, USA. -- source link